Method and means for propelling a vehicle using normally gaseous fuel as a liquid



July 8, 1952 R. ANxloNNAz Erm.

METHOD AND MEANS F OR' PROPELLING A VEHICLE USING NORMALLY GAsEoUs FUEL As A LIQUID Filed May 17, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 F lr"-E3=:

i ff J Ja lfly/ CA c( C C `C I; M C I' J1 jg P y J3 R c c2 a c6 INI/e NTOR July 8, 1952 R. ANxloNNAz ETAL 2,602,289

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROPELLING A VEHICLE NORM USING ALLY GASEOUS FUEL AS A LI D Filed May 17, 1946 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Cf C2 l 5 F79'4 4,its normal state.

Patented July 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND MEANS FOR PRQPELLING A NORMALLY GASEOUS VEHICLE USING 'FUEL AS A LIQUID Ren Anxionnazt-and Marcel HenrijLouis Sdille, Bards, France; said Sdilleassignor. by direct and` mesne assignments, to ,Sooieieltoienn (S- cit Anonyme), Paris, llifrance, acompany of Applieation'May .17, 1946, Serial No.:670, 324 VIn France MayA 25,- 1945 .s claims. (o1. 6,0?353) -lll/Then itis *'.desiredto use .for propelling vehicles iorfani kind, whether aerial.- terrestrial or seafarllllg, Ifllel vwhich is normally gasiforingat the tern- ',-perature and pressure inside themedium through 'which the vehicles move, dimculties :are met vfor storing such; fuel on board.

ASuch a fuel occupies `a considerable volume in To reduce this Volume, it is necessary to ystore up the `gaseousfuel undera vhigh pressure, butin this case the Walls of the containers must be thick, which increases ytheir vl'vveightin an often prohibitive manner.

lAn object of the Vpresent inventionis to proyvide ,afuelofeed device for supplyingathermic ,engine onboard avehiole With fuel which isnormally gaseo us at,,ambient'temperatureand,pressureand Whichisstoredin-itsiiquid form atlow ytemperatnre inside la heat-.insulated `container. ,the -volurne of whichlabove the level of liquid, is

yfilled with fuel in thegaseous form vaporized by the unavoidable heatleakages Athrough the Walls Vof the container, means being provided for leading off from this container to said yengine fuel both lin its gaseousl and liquid forms.

vA :further objeotof ,the` invention is torprovide Apumps or compressorsfor independently controlfling theflows of gaseous and liquid fuel. 'By the yterm fpumpherein ismeant one of any suitable kind `such as .a piston pump, a-centrifugal-pump,

r a volumetric .pump and sok forth.

-Astllfurther object is to provide for vaporizationandhearing of the fuel before intake into the engine throughheat exchange with air suppliedto this-engine, thereby coolinglhis air.

Other objects andadvantagesof the invention will beapparentduring the course of the followving description- Injthe accompanying drawing in Whichlilge reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout 4the same:

f'Figure v-l illustrates diagrammatically one embodiment of a suitable-device for feeding an internal-combustion -plant with liquied gas.

Fig. 2 illustrates the application-of thei-nvention toa Vreaction -jet propeller including `an airl cooled supercharged piston engine.

Figs.-13 and Llillustrate forms of -application'of the'yinvention'to areaction jet propeller .with a .gas -turbine lfor Ydriving the, air compressor,v and with or Without air by-fpagssmeans for -the Vsaid .gas turbine.

fFigrure 5a v.is-a developed section4 of the blades ofan Yair compressor arranged for circulation 1 of the .fuel to Aloe vaporized.

Figure 5b is a diagrammatic View Of. 5lilleG Qllf' -of double-Walled-vessels such as d asshown in Fig. 1 with vacuum `prevailing at b between the two walls. wliioh; letter may in feet lbe,polislledin orderto avoidenylosses through redieiion- The ydouble-Walled vvessel may be, reinforced in order nto resist the ,action of vacuum.

Inmspte of ythe care exercised, there always exists a ,certain heating of the `liquefied .gaseous fuel and a more or less vconsiderable vevaporation takes place. The latter forms a net loss if no vspecial care istaken for the use of this gaseous fuel. Furthermore the vcontainers should .beprovided Withia safety valve or like device for limiting the increase of Y pressure caused by the yaporization inside a closed chamber. Such an arrangementformsa serious danger `as the lossesof .gasform Y fuel ,f may produce with atmospheric Aair an explosive .mixture -zwhich maybe ignited fortuitonsly- .According to theinvention, the vapor,ired f nel is used'nrstffor feedinethe propelling plant of the vehicle and the liquid fuel is used only to the extent oftneinsufiicient `provision of vaporized fuel. v'I lflllS in the embodiment of Fig. 1, the vinterior oitheeontainer o communicates With-e compressore driven by an auxiliary motor d in a manner-such that the fuel .vapors may be brought to the pressurerequired witha View-to their use rinside-lillerplant, e. A pressure regulator ,f .acts Athrough anygsuitable means on the motor-d driving the compressor fsoresto. hold .the pressure inside said. container a at a value which is not critical ,for vthe mechanical resistance of said container. .Incase of a stopping of-the plant ve or if thegoutput-of Tvaporized fuel-is larger than the consumptionpf seid piantine sesiform fuel is exhaustedinto :the atmosphere through the pipe i provided with avcock y. Thisexhaust is provided at Aagpoint Where-the --mixture of fuel with the ambient atmosphere is not dangerous. If required thiseasied fuelrnay be led to s peoiel burners-end ienited- There is shown moreover in Fig. 1 a fuel pump 7' providing for the injection of fuel in liquid state inside the plant e. The use of gasiform fuel during operation of the plant before the use of any liquid fuel is obtained/by opening completely the cock el located between the compressor c and the plant e; the adjustment of the output delivered by the plant is obtained by adjusting the cock il inserted at the delivery end of the pump i or on a cock i3 inserted in a by-pass 7'2 between the suction end of the pump and its delivery end. If

the container of liquefied fuel isable to resist the pressure of the vaporized fuel, the compressor c may be omitted in which ease the feed of gaseous fuel from the container is effected under the natural pressure of this gasied fuel, while the feed of liquid fuel may be done by setting the container under load above the plant to be fed when the pressure of admission of the fuel to the burners allows such an arrangement.

The liquid fuel being at a temperature lower than that of the ambient atmosphere, the heat which may be used directly inside the internal combustion plant will be lower than the caloriiic power of this fuel as theoretically calculated,

starting from the normal temperature of the ambient atmosphere, and the difference is equal "to the heat required for bringing the fuel from its temperature inside the container to ambient temperature.

For a fuel which is gaseous at ambient temperature but is stored in its liquid state at a reduced temperature, this difference is equal to the sum 4of the latent vaporization heat and of the heatrequired for bringing the fuel in its gaseous state from the storing temperature to the ambient temperature. According to a second feature of the invention means are provided for recuperating heat in the cycle of the internal combustion plant to be fed in order to avoid the said loss of heat and to produce moreover a complementary important useful effect.

VIt is a well known fact that in an internal combustion plant such as e which may be a reciprocating engine such as a diesel or an explosionV engine, or a gas turbine, or a reaction jet propeller or again an association of such types of engines, a @uid such as atmospheric air moving through said engine describes athermie cycle beamount required for heating the latter and even .by the vaporization heat thereof if it is vaporized before use. The arrangement operates thus as a heat pump, the calories introduced into the cycle being produced by the ambient atmosphere.

If this cooling of the motive fluid is performed during its compression, the fuel may be heated beyond the ambient temperature. Of course such heat exchanges may be performed in countercurrent relationship, the fuel being gradually heated in contact with the motive fluid which is being more and more compressed.

Fig. 2 shows by way of example a reaction jet propeller including a piston engine M driving an air compressor CA and an auxiliary air compressor Cin for the air adapted to cool the engine M, theV 4 cylinders Cy of which are arranged within the cowl Cp. The air delivered by the compressor CA and admixed with the exhaust gases from the engine M is heated through a combustion effectedinside the burners B and expands finally through the reaction jet nozzle T.

The piston engine M is of any known type. 1t may be fed with any usual fuel the storing of which offers no difficulty. It is however theoretically possible to use also for this engine a fuel of the category forming the object of the invention such as hydrogen, which has a considerable caloriiic power and shows consequently important advantages. The difficulties inherent in coinbustion of hydrogen in reciprocating engines lead however in most cases to avoidance of such fuel. However, these diihculties do not apply to burners such as B of the reaction jet and such fuel can be used for feeding these burners.

n the arrangement of Fig. 2, the air feeding the engine M undergoes before it enters the cylinders compression inside the main compressor CA and further compression inside the super-charging compressor Cs which may comprise one or more stages. The air feeding the engine is cooled. before it is admitted into the cylinders by the cold fuel. For this purpose there are provided one or more cooling devices r into which the liquefied fuel from the double walled container R is forced by the fuel pump P. Under such conditions the amount of heat required for vaporizing and heating the liquefied fuel is provided by the air feeding the piston engine M, which is equivalent in the theoretical Carnot cycle to a lowering of the temperature of the so-called colder source and to an increase in the emciency of the therinic cycle of the whole'of the propeller. On the other hand the specific weight of the air admitted into the cylinders of the engine lVl' is increased thereby, which leads to an increase ofthe weight of air admitted into each cylinder and consequently the power per unit of weight of said engine.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the invention as applied to a reaction jet propeller wherein the thermie engine is constituted by a gas turbine. The arrangement comprises a preliminary air compressor C1 part of the iiowl of air compressed by which forms the motive iiuid, a further compressor C2, one or more combustion chambers Ch, with burners B and an expansion turbine t adapted to drive the compressors. The propeller ends with a reaction jet nozzle T. In this embodiment the flow of air compressed by the compressor C1 is subdivided into two parts of which one passes through the by-pass leading to the nozzle T while the other feeds directly to the `gas turbine. The liquefied cold fuel stored inside the double-walled container Ris forced under its liquid form by the pump P into one oi' more cooling devices r for cooling the combustion air feeding the gas turbine before it is compressed in the compressor C2. f

This fuel removes, for its evaporation and heating, calories from the theoretical so-called colder source which is the air in course of compression and transfers them to the theoretical soealled hotter source, which increases the efficiency of the thermie cycle.

At the same time, the fraction of fuel evaporated inside the container R is forced .by the compressorCs into the cooler r so as to cooperate in the cooling of the ow of air undergoing compression.

-fgas turbine.

-Fig.`-4..i1lustrates .aimodicationiof thefarrangement vof `fFig. -3 `whereinfthe totality. :ofitheiflow 4of compressed air :provided by :fthelzpreliminary the Vvair `at the entrance Linto-fthe :compressor C1. Whenl coolers are *inserted in I'the ow of y air lduring compression, V:and :when the v.compressors *are of the axial type :in which the Mfspeed" offithe air `isfoften considerable, -it -iis'important Eto lrezduceas 'much ats-possible the corresponding'flosses fof' pressure. From'fthisstandpoinu a-particularly Vinteresting arrangement lconsists rinuusin'g fas cooling ysurfaces the surfaces fof 1the stationary bailies Jof the compressor or compressors V5Figs. `Vaiand 5b show'hbw thisfcooling may'beqeiected.

Fig. 5w-is a Vcoaxial.'cross-sectionofthebales-of the compressor throughl the lsurface/of `mean 'f diameter of the stream of air, `said:cross-section vbeing developed on the-plane of -the drawing. I

"designates `th-e Amovable blades and 2 -the '-stationary"-`baiiles. The 4latter are hollow-so -astofallow `the Acirculation of the coldfliquid v'-fuel vorfof its vapors at a low temperature.

grammatic projection 'on :to ya plane perpendicular tothe axis of Athe compressor.

I-'for instanceffto afeed with -an inner interconnecting pipe -system i5.

"The circulationof the cooling ui'd .isfthusef-y -*fectedas illustratedbyrthearrows'onfthe drawing fromithecollector 13 to the 'collector WA#through -'the hollow/stationary 'baffles `2 andthepipesf.

It may .occurs 'that' the coolingfof theair jpass- :ing through one `or more 'coolers issufhcient, by

`reason ofthe lowtemperature of the liquid-fuel,

ifor Yice Vdue to the moisture Yof the:l airy-to Adeposit on the .exchange surfaces vwhich"would-'lead fto the gradual This drawback 'may be removed by returning closing .of the passage for the through a by-pass va vfraction -of-the flowof gaseousfuel from'th-esoutlet of'the cooler into its inlet. In the embodiment illustratedin Fig: 6,- the double-walled container 'R "feeds-the heat eX- changer Jr'throughthe fuel `pump p on the onev hand and the compressor C3 on the other hand. Valves rl andrZ prevent .any return of the f-uel towards .the container. The .output .of .the liquid fuel pump p is adjusted by meansof thereturn cock r3. At the output from the heat exchanger 1', the gasiedand'heatedfuel is 4sent-through the pipe B..to the internal combustion plant but a .fraction thereof is returned through the .pipes 1 .and to .the inlet of saidexchanger throughthe action .of a circulation vfan C4. supposing l .kilogram is the weight of liquid fuel delivered by thefuelpump p andK'kg. Vis the weight dfgasi- Sed fuel returned to the Ventrance of .thepheat .exchanger 1'. The lowering of the temperature .oftheairinsi'de the exchangerfor vaporizingand .'heating .the fuel up'to ambienttemperature-will be K-i-l times smaller than .in 'the case .Whereno alreadygasifled fuel removedfrom theexchanger is added to the cold fuel at its ,entrancegintothe exchanger. I'K is given a suihcient value it is possible to avoid thus the temperature of the air crossing the cooler from falling below icing temperature. With the same object, the gaseous fuel produced in the container under the action 0f thermic leakages may be introduced into the ltv -shows Ythe Y vhollow `-stationary baffles v2; some Y-of which, =in the Aupper half, are connected vcollector i3 and-fthe other to -a return:collector 4 vcooler @through :the :compressor Cs vasfzshowndn Figure 1.6.

i1.In v-a- "vehicle powered yby ifa :reaction iet -engine including a combustion chamber and anfgair 'compressor :for feeding-said .chamber .with .com-

pressed combustion air, :a :heat:insulatedwstcrage vvessel, inside said vessel, a liquidfuel atglow ftemperature, :said .ffuel :belonging zto ithe .class *of .fuels which :are gaseous *'.at :ambient tem- J'pera-ture .and -pressure,f;the volume Vof said vesfsel above fthe level fof lliquid being rlled with :said fuel: ini thegaseousl form .a1-,fa pressureffof :the .magnitude OfambiSntpreSSure, `piilrlgsmeansrb c- :tweenzsaid 'chamber and the 'volume .of .said'ves- Vselfabove' the level-of liquid, meansn saidipiping ymeans "efor -sucking :up :gaseous fuel from said vessel and discharging :same ptowardgsaid .chamfber, `Ai'further Vpiping ,means "between .said inhamr`ber 'and the volume zofisaidfvessel below .theflevel `o'f "liquid, via portion of @said :furthergpiping .fmeans I:being :in yheat-.exchange relationship vwith said compressedcombustion .-air,;means in said latter-f rmentioning '.pipingmeans, upstream of said p0rxition, for :sucking-up liquid fuel fromsaid Avessel and discharging .same into said portion, fand .meansfon said .latter-fmentionedpiping meansifor Vcontrolling .thegflowA 0f liqudifuel therethrough.

Y2. Inra-vehicle powered by.. a reaction jetengine .-fincluding :a combustion chamber Aand a .multi- :stage air compressor for -feeding -said chamber with compressed .combustion air, .a heat-.insulated storage vessel, inside said vessel, a liquidifuelat .low Vtemperature,.-said fuel belonging .to v,the .class yof fuels :which :are gaseous at .ambient ten'iigzera- -ture andzpressure. the volume vof .said `vessel -above the level .of .liquid :being .filled withsaid .fuel .in

' yther-gaseous form; at.; a `pressure gof the magnitude of iambient pressulaxpiping, means between vsaid chamber :and-,the volume .of .said :vesselfabove the -level of liquid, means insaid piping .means for sucking up;gaseous;. fuel yfrom said vessel-and .discharging same toward said chamber, .further piping `means betweensaid :chamber and the volume Qfvsaid vessel below the .level .of ..1iquid, a .-.portionof -said further piping .means beingl in xheateexchangerelationship with an intermediate :stage of .said multi-:stage `air compressor,l means .-in said latterfinentionedpiping means, upstream of said portion, for sucking up liquidffuel from `said vessel ,and discharging Vsaniento 7.saicrporiticn, and .means `cnlsaid.latterfmentioned A.piping means for 'controlling4 the v.flow 10i liquid fuel therethrough.

.3. Inra vehiclegpowered byareactionietengine l including a combustion ychamber and ea multiistage-.air compressor tfor feeding said fchamber .withfcompressed .combustion air., a. heat-insulated storage v essel, inside I.said fvessel, aa `liquid .fuel at .low temperature, .said fuel belonging Y,to the; class `offuels which are gaseous .at .ambient :temperature.and pressure, lthe Volume of said vesselz'above the levelfof liquid being vfilled with-said I.fuel-in V,thegiseous formata pressure ,of .the magnitude of vambientapressure,-.a.conduit in heat-.exchange .relationship with .an .intermediate stage. of. said '.multirstage air compressor, vpiping-.means ,ibetween -one lend of. saidV conduit and .the volume :of 'said' vessel abovepthe .'levelfof vliquid,fxifneansfin said piping means forsucking Vuprgaseousfuel from said Vessel and discharging same into said conduit, further piping means between said end and the volume of said vessel below the level of liquid, means in said further piping means for sucking up liquid fuel from said vessel and disclass of fuels which are gaseous at ambient temperature and pressure, the volume of said'vessel above the level of liquid being lled with said fuel in the gaseous form at a pressure of the magnitude of ambient pressure, a conduit in heat-exchange relationship with an intermediate stage of said multi-stage air compressor, piping means between one end of said conduit and the volume of said vessel above the level of liquid, means in said piping means for continuously sucking up gaseous fuel from said vessel and discharging same into said conduit, during operation of said engine, further piping means between said end and the volume of said vessel below the level of liquid, means in said further piping means for sucking up make-up amounts of liquid fuel from said Vessel and discharging same into said conduit, means on said latter-mentioned piping means for controlling the ow of liquid fuel therethrough, and piping means between the other end of said conduit and said combustion chamber.

5. The method of operating a thermic engine plant including a combustion chamber and a heat insulated fuel storage vessel, which method comprises the steps of providing in said storage vessel, in its cold, liquid phase and at substantially ambient pressure, a quantity of a fuel which is normally gaseous at ambient temperatures and pressures, said quantity being less than the volumetric capacity of said storage vessel, removing continuously the fuel gasied by normal heat losses from the top part of said vessel, feeding continuously the combustion chamber with the gasied fuel thus removed and regulating the power of the plant by feeding said combustion chamber with variable supplementary amounts of fuel removed in its cold liquid state from the bottom part of said vessel.

6. The method of operating a thermic engine plant including a combustion chamber and a heat insulated fuel storage vessel, which method comprises the steps of providing in said storage vessel, in its cold, liquid phase and at substantially ambient pressure, a quantity of a fuel which is normally gaseous at ambient temperatures and pressures, said quantity being less than the volumetric capacity of said storage vessel, remo-ving continuously the fuel gasiiied by normal heat losses from the top part of said vessel, feeding continuously the combustion chamber with the gasified fuel thus removed and regulating the power of the plant by feeding said combustion chamber with variable supplementary amounts of fuel removed in its cold liquid state from the bottom part of said vessel, the fuel thus removed in its liquid state being gasied before its admission into said combustion chamber by using the heat developed in the plant.

(jfl

7. The method of operating a thermic engine plant including a combustion chamber, a compressor forvfeeding air under pressure to, said chamber, and a heat insulated fuel storage vessel, which method comprises the steps of providing in said storage vessel, in its cold, liquid phase and at substantially ambient pressure, a quantity of a fuel which is normally gaseous at ambient temperatures and pressures, said quantity being less than the volumetric capacityof said storage vessel, removing continuously the fuel gasifled by normal heat losses from the top part of said vessel, feeding continuously the combustion chamber with the gasied fuel thus removed and regulating the power of the plant by feeding said combustion chamber with variable supplementary amounts of fuel removed in its cold liquid state from the bottom part of said vessel, the fuel thus removed in its liquid state being gasied before its admission into said combustion chamber by heating said fuel through the heat resulting from the compression of the air in said compressor.

8. The method of operating a thermic engine plant including a combustion chamber, a compressor for feeding air under pressure to said chamber, and a heat insulated fuel storage` vessel, Which method comprises the steps of providing in said storage vessel, in its cold, liquid phase and at substantially ambient pressure, a quantity of a fuel which is normally gaseous at ambient temperatures and pressures, said quan-a tity being less than the volumetric capacity of said storage vessel, removing continuously the fuel gasiiied by normal heat losses from the top part of said vessel, feeding continuously the combustion chamber with the gasified fuel thus removed and removing fuel in its cold liquid state from the bottom part of said vessel, subjecting the liquid fuel thus removed to a heat exchange with the hot air under pressure issuing from the air compressor in order to gasify said fuel, feeding the combustion chamber with the liquid fuel thus gasiiied and regulating the power of the plant by varying the amount of liquid fuel removed from the bottom part of said vessel.

9. The method of claim 5,y the fuel being hydrogen.

RENE ANXONNAZ. Y MARCEL HENRI LOUIS SDILLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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